All posts tagged ESB

Robert Asika, one of the shooting victims, speaks outside of Bellevue Hospital.

By Andrew Grossman and Sumathi Reddy

One woman was on her way to Dunkin’ Donuts for a cup of coffee when she heard the shots. Another was crossing 34th Street and Fifth Avenue to her job as a receptionist. A man was selling tickets to go to the observation deck of the Empire State Building.

The nine bystanders wounded when shooting erupted Friday morning on West 33rd Street ranged in ages from 20 to 56 years old — four men and five women who ended up caught in the gun fire near one of Manhattan’s busiest intersections.

“It was just crazy, you know, like I was scared when I saw the whole thing,” said Robert Asika, 23, who was selling tickets for City Sights when he was shot in the right elbow.

“When I woke up this morning I didn’t even feel like going to work, something told me not to go to work,” he added. “I mean it’s a job, just go, so I just went.” Read More »

Police officers stood in front of the apartment building on Friday afternoon, interviewing neighbors. A dozen reporters also crowded around the six-story building on East 82nd Street.

Guillermo Suarez, 72 years old, identified himself as the building superintendent at Mr. Johnson’s home. He described the 58-year-old suspect, who was killed by police, as a lonely man who wore and brown suit every day and never had visitors.

Mr. Johnson lived alone in a second-floor walk-up he subleased 18 months ago, the super said. The two men exchanged regular morning greetings.

“At 8:30 a.m. every single day he goes to McDonald’s, he comes back, he goes upstairs and that’s the end of that one,” Mr. Suarez said. Read More »

Nine bystanders suffered gunshot wounds during Friday's shooting near the Empire State Building, in which a suspect allegedly killed a former coworker before being shot dead by police.

The wounded were taken to Weill Cornell Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital Center for treatment. All had non-life threatening injuries, according to a Fire Department spokesman.

Louis Lleras, 32 years old, was visiting his sister Erica Solar, 30, who he identified as one of the victims of the shooting. She was being treated at Bellevue early Friday afternoon.

Ms. Solar work as a receptionist on 37th Street, he said, and was on her way to get a cup of coffee at Dunkin Doughnuts when she heard shots. Mr. Lleras said she took a few steps before realizing she had been shot in the back of her left knee.

“They don't know if she was shot by the cops or the gunman,” Mr. Lleras said. “She just heard shots and fell to the ground afterwards.” Read More »

A relative identified the target in Friday’s shooting near the Empire State Building as Steven Ercolino, 41 years old, an employee at Hazan Import Corp.

He was allegedly shot at close range by Jeffrey Johnson, a 58-year-old former employee who had been laid off by the apparel company. “He was an incredible family man, loved his family,” said a woman who identified herself as Mr. Ercolino’s sister-in-law, Andrea.

Mr. Ercolino did not have children, she said, but was the “best uncle to my children.” She described him as generous, fun-loving and compassionate, and said he loved his job selling handbags. “He had an incredible life ahead of him,” she said. “He was an incredible person.” Read More »

Rebecca Fox, 27 years old, of Queens, spoke to reporters in the aftermath of the Empire State Building shooting about what she saw during the incident Friday morning. Read WSJ’s full report. Read More »

A gunman was shot and killed by police officers after he allegedly shot several people near the Empire State Building in Midtown Manhattan, a law enforcement official said. Police and first responders swarmed the area soon after the burst of gunfire at 9 a.m.

Some people on social networks like Twitter and reddit said they were at or near the Empire State Building when the shooting occurred. Their accounts couldn’t immediately beverified but here is a selection of what they reported. Read More »